Blanca Samano was my fairy god mother on my wedding day --- she just didnt know it. = )
My wedding took place on July 15, 2012 at a winery in Pleasanton, Ca.
First off , let me just say that there's no such thing as a perfect wedding....but Blanca and her team sure made my wedding look flawless. Everything went according to schedule and I am so happy that we hired "A Touch of Elegance ."
I admit that at first I didn't want to hire a planner because of budget issues and the fact that I am such a control freak and so particular about things that I could not bare handing the logistics of the most important day off to someone else.
Furthermore, looking back I was one of those brides that was defiantly on top of her game and was very organized throughout my planning.--- I just didn't think that Blanca's services would benefit me.
However, when the wedding came closer and more details and random issues came up, I started to dread the wedding day itself!! And just FYI - Transient Hyperventilation during the planning process is normal ladies! = )
All I know was that I did not want to be stress out. A wedding is supposed to be one of the most magical day of a woman's life. I wanted to be able to soak up all the beauty and joy that surrounded me on that day and didn't want little things to distract my enjoyment of it.
I've heard so many stories from friends that they were constantly bombarded on their wedding day with questions that they couldn't eat or even enjoy their wedding--- i knew that's not what I wanted.
A coworker of mime recommended Blanca after she used her services for her wedding. She had nothing but wonderful praises about Blanca and her team.
During the planning stages, Blanca left a very positive impression. She was very articulate, professional, ORGANIZED, Quick at answering emails, on top of her game, goes over and beyond for her clients, and always has something up her sleeve when it comes to tackling issues that arises on the wedding day. Never was I interrupted by any of my vendors on my wedding day for silly questions, or concerns -- Blanca made sure of this and she made sure they all did their roles & duties to the fullest.
If I could list all the things that she for me on my wedding day that was over and beyond - I would run out of space on yelp, but briefly I will say that by the end of the night I had SOOOO MUCH FUN, I danced my butt off, I lost my jimmy choo shoes somewhere in the venue, my bridal party and I brought a TONS of stuff to the venue that we needed to collect, and we were given an hour to practically collect everything and get off the venue premises. I turned to Blanca and with a snap of her finger she said " Everything is already done!"
She escorted me to the limo and gave me a hug and told me that everything has been collected, she found my missing shoe, and reassured me that if I find anything missing the next day -that she will drive to the venue and look for it herself.
In addition, she was even nice enough to offer to take my dog to the doggy hotel after his appearance in the ceremony. Luckily with some sweet talk and convincing, I was allowed to keep my dog on the venue for the entire reception. She made sure that he was well hydrated and fed, and even took him out for bathroom breaks.
Blanca services is very affordable compared to other companies. She takes great pride in what she does and you definitely get a high level of Professionalism, Service, and Knowledge from her. She has great vendor contacts, and in fact I was able to get a huge discount on my linen rentals through Blanca.
Blanca is worth every penny. Just remember ----You can not put a price tag on a night full of precious memories that you can cherish forever. Anyone who has ever gotten married will tell you that the day passes by VERY QUICK so savor every moment of it.
Blanca made my day so stress free, I was able to mingle with my guests, dance, pictures, eat, drink, laugh , cry, ---All the things that you're supposed to do on your wedding day--- but so many brides don't get to.
If I could say one thing that perhaps I was unhappy about on my wedding day, was the fact that my viedographer left 30 mins early especially when I paid him an hour of overtime. My husband made an ending speech that was not caught on camera and our grand exit out of the venue was not recorded either.
I know it wasn't Blanca's fault, the videographer had asked permission to leave early from my Drunken husband --- and he gave him the thumbs up to go --- BUT HELLO everyone knows you're supposed to ask the planner and it's the bride who has the final say!!
Blanca should have made it clear to the vendors that they should check with her before they decide to cut out early and it's not appropriate to ask the groom because almost all the time he's wasted! read more